Hosiery drying and shaping form



L. GRAY HOSIERY DRYING AND SHAPING FORM May 4 1926.

7 Filed March 24, 1921 Patented May 4, 1926.

I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LYNN GRAY, on wAUmm, wrsoonsm, Assreiron, BY MESNE Assr'oimnn'rs, TO PARAMOUNT TEXTILE MACHINERY (10., or CHICAGO, rumors, A CORPORATION or rumors.

'nosmnY marine AND SHAPING roam.

Application filed March 24, 1921. Serial No. 455,088.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LYNN GRAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Waupun, in the county of Dodge and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hosiery Drying and Shaping Forms, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates, broadly, to hosiery finishing apparatus and, more especially, to, structures for drying and shaping so-called full-fashioned and mock-seam hosiery.

As distinguished from so-called seamless hosiery, full-fashioned hosiery is of a type that is knit in sheet form and then has its longitudinal edges sewed together. When this is done, a seam extending from the toe to the top of the stocking is produced.

Mock-seam hosiery is knit in tubular form, and it really is seamless; but a longitudinal seam is simulated in the fabric so that the article shall resemble full-fashioned hosiery.

In the boarding of both full-fashioned and mock-seam hosiery, the practice with some manufacturers is to lay the seam or mock-seam somewhat to one side of the longitudinal line, this resulting in the production of what are called frights and lefts,

this name arising from the fact that the seam would, by the boarding, be disposed to the right or to the left of the longitudinalline. With other manufacturers, the practice is to lay the seam along said 'lon itud1- nal line and, thus, avoid the productlon of rights and lefts; and, for that practice, the hosiery finishing forms disclosed in Letters- Patent No. 1,218,520, granted Marchfi, 1917,

and No. 1,268,066, granted May28, 1918,

may be eificiently utilized.

In Patent No. 1,07 5,346 14, 1913, there is disclose I I ing board adapted for the boardmg of full-fashioned hosiery to produce rights and lefts: The board, in this patent, consists of a metal sheet cut to the shape'of a stocking and provided at one edge wlth a groove which is locateda distance from the rear edge of the finishing board and extending from the top of the leg around the heelportion of the board and termlnatmg'at the toe-end thereof. The sole )'urpo's 'a ,of the groove, in this instance, 15 to receive the granted October ing during the finishing a hosiery finish- J seam of th e hosiery and prevent the latter from shifting while the stocking is shrinkprocess.

As a result of considerable experimentatron with a drying and shaping form provided with a longitudinal groove that receives and holds the seam from shifting, I have discovered that'it presents certain difliculties and disadvantages which it is the ob ect of the present invention to overcome.

Where relatively large production in a mill considerable skill and. time to dispose the seam -1n the groove in=the form mentioned and, besides, the finished product is not alis a desideratum, it is found that it requires I together satisfactory; whereas, with a drying and shaping form made in accordance with my invention, a very satisfactory product is possible without at all slowing down production: This result is made possible by making the edge of the form of quite a different-character, such that an incut or channel formed with a proximately right-angled walls or surfaces is presented, each'of these walls being adapted to function in a mannor presently to be explained and,,thus, op-

crating-in a way different fromthe'grooves in the forms disclosed in any of the three aforementioned patents.

The structure of my inventionis characterized by'having its frontand rear portions rovided with crease-producing edges, there eing associated with the rear edge an incut or channel having right-angular walls, one of the walls terminating in the creaseproducingedge whereby a crease in the hosiery will be roduced in close proximity to the seam, an the seam, itself, be so disposed in the resulting'product in relation to the crease'that it. shall have the appearance of beingflattened out. The foregoing statement relates, of course, to full-fashioned hosiery.

WVhere mock-seam hosiery is treated on such a form, the simulated seam is disposed in the same relation to the crease, the incut or ri lit-angular channel enabling the lining up 0% the mock-seam in a straightlongitud1 nal line to produce a product having a high class and finished appearance;

In order that my invention may be more readily comprehended, I have illustrated three embodiments thereof which, in actual practice, have been found to be highly elliunderlying principles and salient features and advantages.

In these drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of an internally heated hosiery drying and shaping form with a full-fashioned stocking superposed thereon, a portion of the latter being cut away to disclose, first, the seam-receiving incut or channel of the form, and, also, the relation thereto of the seam in the goods;

Fig. 2 is a view in transverse section on the line 2 2, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view, in section, on a much larger scale, and showing more particularly the shape of the incut or channel in the form and the manner in which the seam is disposed therein and in relation to the crease formed in the goods adjacent the seam;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing a modified type of form partlcularly useful for finishing mock-seam hosiery, the seam-receiving incut in this instance being (for illustration purposes only) disposed on the side of the crease-producing edge opposite to that shown in Fig. 2, and extending from near the base of the form to the heel-portion thereof;

Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 3 showing the mock-seam of the hosiery in its relation to the incut in the form; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary View of another modification, in which seam-seating incuts are provided on both sides of the form.

Referring to these drawings, and to Figs. 1 to 3 thereof, the reference-numeral 1 indicates a' stocking of the so-called fullfashioned type. This is shown as provided with a seam 2 atthe rear and extending from the toe of the stocking to the top thereof. 1

producing edges 6 and 7, these sides and edges having the function of simultaneously creasing, shaping and finishing the front and rear portions, as well as the sides, of the stocking.

Adjacent the rear creaseroducing edge of the form 6 is an elongate incut or channel 8, preferably extending from near the base 9 of the form to the toe-end 10 thereof,

and formed inthe side 4 and adjacent the "crease-producing edge 6. The incut 8 comprises a lateral wall 11 and a longitudinal wall 12, the walls 11 and 12 being disposed in approximate right-angular relation, as shown particularly in .Figs. 2 and 3. The wall 11 presents what I shall herein designate a seam-seating surface, while the wall 12 presents what I shall herein designate as a seam-abutment surface. The lateral wall 11 terminates in a corner 11 which, preferably and as shown, is relatively sharp so as to constitute an effective instrumentality to engage and hold the seam from being twisted off the seam-seating surface 11. Similarly, the abutment-surface 12 terminates in a corner 12 which likewise functions to prevent the seam from being dislocated out of the channel 8 when the fabric is moved in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 5, for instance.

When the stocking is being placed on the form, the seamed portion thereof will be placed so as to be disposed in relation to the incut 8; and, as the stocking is pulled down on the form and into its ultimate finishing position thereon, the seam will be lined up so that it will beara particular relation to the entire lengthof the incut 8. In rapid work, the seam will not initially be disposed in exact line with the incut, and this fact necessitates a shifting of certain portions of the hosiery by the operator so as to bring the same in proper alinement and in a precise relation to the incut. The shifting of the hosiery is transverse to its length; and, under normal conditions, the aforementioned manipulation has a tendency to move the seam too far; but, in boarding with a form constructed in accordance with my invention, the abutment surface 12 acts not only as a guide to the operator but as an abutment for the seam to prevent its movement over the crease-producing edge 6.

In other words, the wall 12, being angular both to the hosiery-engaging surface of the side 5 and to the wall 11, presents a sort of seam-engaging surface which holds the Seam against undesirable movement that would otherwise throw it up onto or beyond the crease-producing edge 6.

When the seam has been brought into the aforementioned holding engagement with the abutment surface 12, any movement of the seam in the opposite direction, by reason of continued manipulation by the operator, will cause the seam to be broughtinto holdng engagement with the angular wall 11 and this, then, constitutes an abutment for the seam against movement of the latter beyond the corner 13 formed at the edge of the form-wall 4. In consequence, the seam will be properly seated, first, against the wall 12, and, secondly, against the wall 11 and, as a result, will be exactly lined up in the angular incut 8. The result 1s that the seam is disposed inan exactly straight line throughout the length of the stocking and at one side of the crease 14 formed in 5 the hosiery adjacent the seam. Thus, it will be seen that I produce a roduct which is characterized by creases ormed m 1ts front and rear portions and with the seam thereof lined up in true relation to'the crease 1 14 and at one side thereof, but in close proximity thereto.

Where mock-seam hosiery is being boarded on this type of form, the mock-seam being of a character not unlike the seam 1n full-fashioned hosiery-is similarly caused to be lined up against the angular walls 12 and 13 of the incut 8 and with the crease 14 formed at one side thereof but in close relation thereto, as shown particularly in Fig. 5. It will be understood that theincut 8 may be formed either in the form-wall 4, or in the form=wal-l 5 according to whether the form is to-prodfice a left or right and the positions of these incuts, in opposite sides of 95 the form 3, are illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5. Or, as shown in Fi 6, there may be incuts 16 and 17 formed in both walls 4 and 5 so as to provide the angular surfaces 1819 and 20-21 on opposite sides of the "crease-producing edge 22. This type of form permits the boarding of eitherrights or lefts on the same form.

From the foregoing, it will be iercewed that I have devised a novel hosier oardin form eculia'rly adapted for the nishing 0 both ull-fashioned and mock seamhosiery. It is to be understood, however, that, by reason of the provision of the crease-produc ing edge 6 at the portion of the form where the'incut 8 is disposed, I can satisfactorily board ordinary seamless hosiery on this type of form. In consequence, my improved type of form has advantages over those disclosed in the aforementioned Patents Nos. 1,218,520 and 1,268,066, because, with said patented forms, by reason of the fact that they have only one crease-producing edge as a feature of each form, seamless hosiery cannot satisfactorily be finished thereon. With the finishing board shown in Patent No. 1,075,-

346, this board is not a'da ted to be used for simultaneously drying an shaping hosierythe expression, in this instance, including the idea of crease-producing.

Itwill be manifest that, as the hosiery is pulled onto the forms in a comparatively wet condition, and I the forms 'belng relatively hot, the moisture in the fabric will be evaporated and cause the fabric to become set or fixed. The hosie when placed on the forms, is stretche to the dimensions, approximately, of the ultimate product, and the evaporation of the moisture from the fabric reduces this settin or fixing therell of an simultaneously, t e fixing of the creases at its front and rear portions. At the same time, the relative pos1t 1on of the seam to the proximate crease 1s likewise fixed; so that the product is thereby-given a finished appearance and made ready for the market without a subsequent finlslnng treatment.

What I claim is: 1. A drying and shaping structure for treating hosiery including a form provided with oppositely disposed crease-producing edges and with an L-shap'ed-incut disposed ad acent one of the crease-producing edges, and comprising a proximately right-angular, substantially at walls to present angularly disposed surfaces including, respectively, a seam-seating surface and a seamabutment surface extending in a plane approximately central of the form and terminating in a corner in substantial alinement with the crease-producing edge at the oppo site portion of the form, and having the dual function of preventing dislocation of a seam of the stocking being boarded on the form and also of effecting a crease in the stocking adjacent its seam. Y

- 2. A drying and shaping structure ,for treating hosiery, including a hollow form to contain a thermal fluid and having curved fabric-flattening sides, and provided atits front and rear portions with crease-producing edges, and aving in close proximity to one of the crease-producing edges an elongated, approximately L-shaped incut formed .with .a substantially fiat seam-seating wall terminating in a relatively sharp corner to block the seam against movement beyond thewall in one direction, and with a substantially flat seam-abutment wall extending in a plane approximately central of the form and terminating in a relatively sharp corner to block the seam against movement beyond said wall and arranged in substantial alinement with the oppositely-disposed crease-producing edge, the curved fabricfiattemng sldes of the form extending from said corners.

3. A digiving and shapin structure for drym an finishing full-fas ioned or mockseam osiery comprising a hollow form eontainlng a heating mediumand having sides whlch converge to oppositely-disposed crease-formmg edges to crease the front and rear of the goods, one of the sides bein provided adjacent one of the crease-pro ucing edges with an elongated approximately L- shaped mcut havin angular walls, each substantiall fiat, an both of which present two distinct surfaces,one bein a seam-seating surface terminating in a re atively sharp corner to block the seam against movement be 0nd such wall in one direction, and the ot er wall constituting a seam-abutment surface and likewise terminating in a relatively sharp corner to block the seam against by reason of the setting of the fabric due to movement beyond that Wall in one direction the evaporation of the moisture therefrom 10 and arranged in substantial alinement with the oppositely-disposed crease-forming edge of the form whereby the seam or mock-seam I of the goods .is lined up parallel to and in close relation to one of the creases formed in the goods, the crease formation in the goods and the position of the seam remaining fixed produced by the heated form; the sides of the form extending from said corners and terminating in crease-producing edges.

In testimony whereof I said oppositely-disposed LYNN GRAY. 

